sleepsense

I've been working with children and parents since my days as a student at King's University, where I completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, concentrating my research on infant development and family dynamics.

As I was finishing my degree in Psychology, I got involved with the "ABC Headstart Program" which provides pre-kindergarten education to underpriveleged children from low-income neighborhoods.

This experience proved so inspiring to me that I decided to get a second degree in elementary education -- so that I could become a teacher.

I spent several happy years teaching in a wonderful Grade One classroom until the birth of my first son, Charlie, in 2002.

That's when I learned firsthand about just how difficult it can be to nuture positive sleep habits in infants and young children! Drawing on my academic training in Psychology, I began 10 months of extensive research into the subject of child sleep, and launched a very successful private practice teaching parents how to solve their children's sleep problems.

Over the past few years, I've also appeared on national television to talk about infant sleep, been featured in one of the country's largest newspapers, spoken at numerous parenting and baby conventions, and co-hosted a popular parenting radio program.

In 2006, I was selected as the only non-doctor to present a workshop to GPs (general practioners, better known as "family doctors") at one of the largest medical schools in Canada on the topic of infant and child sleep habits.

I've also found time to have two more children: a son named Angus (born in 2004), and a daughter named Georgia (born in 2006.) We live on the West Coast with my wonderful husband, Mike.

Oh... and yes! We all sleep through the night!

My Philosophy

I try hard to accommodate different parenting styles, and work with parents to come up with a customized plan -- a plan that will work for YOUR child, and one that YOU can feel comfortable with.

It is difficult (if not impossible) to implement a plan if parents are not completely comfortable with the approach that they'll be taking. That's why I like to spend a lot of time talking with parents about the pros and cons of different approaches, and then deciding on the best one for their particular situation.

That being said, implementing change is always difficult -- even for adults – so changing your child's sleep habits can definitely be a challenge and is usually met with some resistance and tears. However, my approach focuses on making the changes as easy as possible on everyone, and you will not be asked to leave your child alone to “cry it out”.

It will take consistency and strength on the part of both parents and can be hard work, as there are no "magic solutions." However, making the necessary changes to improve your child's sleep habits will increase the quality of everyone's lives and provides many rewards for everyone in a family.